The worst thing about our studio apartment has been not having a couch. I know that may seem silly, but to us the couch is where we (dogs included) could all sit together and eat, watch a movie, relax, read, etc.  Without it, Josh and I resorted to the bar or our desks. It was also awkward when we had to have guests sit on the bar stools.

I didn’t think there was a way we could fit a couch into our space without it looking awkward and cramped.

I decided to try and see if anyone else had the same problem and found tons of inspiring pictures online of people who had made it work.

The key seemed to be finding one of the right size that structurally fit in with the rest of the room. I needed to give it a shot.

So there is our loveseat! It’s not much to behold but it was the smallest couch that lined up perfectly with our bed, was the same angular structure, and still allowed for all of us to snuggle and lean back comfortably.

Pros

• Fits structurally.
• Perfect size.
• Dog-proof, washable cover. (We put a blanket/throw on top just because… Well, our dogs are messy.)

Cons:

• It didn’t come in brown or another neutral shade aside from black and white, so we were forced to go with a canvas cover.
• It’s quite short and you can’t lay your head on anything.
• We had the hardest time agreeing on pillows. Still hunting for the perfect ones, but these are fine for now. I actually love them, but I still can’t decide if they match our brown-black living room well enough.

I come home and finally feel like I’m…home. A couch is a must!

Do you think you can survive without a couch to bum out on? I certainly did, but I missed it terribly.

Before

After

I’m finally done with the cabinets! It took me about three different setups to find something I like. I switched to blue towels, as I hated the brown and they were shredded anyhow. White baskets hold small towels and laundry supplies. Extra bed on top. My vanity on the bottom. Here’s a close-up:

I apologize again for the bad lighting in my bathroom. There’s no natural light…

Regardless, I’m finally completely pleased with my vanity shelf! Here’s what I did:

• I trashed my clear organizer idea. It still looked too cluttered. I bought white drawers from Target and stored my makeup in there.
• I added picture frames to personalize the space. I think they were $2 from IKEA. I printed two illustrations: owls and a blue dress. I’ll likely change this often just to change the space up.
• I decided to put my nail polish on display, because it had more uniformity compared to my make up collection. The spice rack was $5 at Bed Bath and Beyond.
• My brushes are still in a coffee cup with rice to hold them upwards. I just tossed my old brushes and purchased a new collection from ELF. (Review coming soon!) I bought a blue make up sponge from Sonia Kashuk for $10 and keep that in a tea light glass.
• I moved my skin care to the another shelf.
• I made sure I had enough of a U-shape to pull things out, set up my mirror, and create a masterpiece on my face. (Sarcasm) When I’m done, things go back in their spot.
• Something I’d still like: lights. I may invest in a battery powered vanity mirror for better lighting when I put my make up on. But then…where will it go? Hmm, still to decide.

Before

After

Again, out with the brown towels and in with the blue. I also got rid of the brown (also broken) rugs and added blue and beige toned rugs. I’m not crazy about them… But they’ll do. I was pushing for white but the weird dude I live with said they’d get dirty too quickly. So that idea was thrown out. You may notice the huge contraption on the counter. I like to keep things simple and clear but I had no choice with this thing. It’s a towel warmer, and my mother-in-law-to-be gave it to me for Christmas. It’s been the best part of  the cold weather around here… I love it, even though it’s large and obnoxious!

Before

After

This is the bottom of the cabinet where I put skin care and miscellaneous things. Much better! You don’t even want to see that bottom shelf in the before picture…

It’s not perfect and I may change a few things here and there, but for the most part…Bathroom Project: Complete!

To take a look back in time, there’s also Part 1 and Part 2 for your amusement.

If you’re a frequent reader of the blog, you may remember my quest for a bathroom overhaul. While I will soon update with progress on the bathroom, I’ve been so happy with the changes that I decided to go ahead and begin with the kitchen.

Before

After

My goal with the kitchen is to make things easier for me while I’m in there. I moved my spices out of the cabinets and installed a picture rack from IKEA near the oven. Using my spices has never been easier! I frequently forgot I had spices, so having them visible is a huge plus and has allowed me to experiment. Not to mention, more free counter space is always wanted… So having them off of the counter makes it easier to clean.

I was able to purchase a white ceramic utensil holder from Bed Bath & Beyond, since the utensils I had didn’t all fit into the old bamboo holder I was using. I was then inspired to move the knives off of the counter to have even more space.

The bar area received the biggest change. I thought about what to do with that space for the longest time… It was the number one space for Josh and I to throw our knick knacks onto. I had to figure out how to give the space a purpose to prevent us from doing that. I ended up buying two placemats at IKEA, which instantly took up the necessary space and gave the sitting area purpose. I grabbed a decorative (but also usable) ceramic pitcher, white ceramic pot, and an artificial plant.

I tried my best to do real plants in my apartment, but they die within three days because we rarely get natural light through our window… Which makes me sad. However, even the illusion of plants makes me happy and can make a room look so much better!

So I’m much happier with the kitchen, especially considering it wasn’t that expensive to overhaul the space. Now that I look at the before and after, I realize the little things make a huge difference!

I was using a folder style filing system similar to this one, which worked fine for my paperwork up until this year. After combining my files with Josh’s paperwork and living on my own… The paperwork wouldn’t fit into the folders anymore.

I had a few options: buy a filing cabinet, buy a second filing folder, or buy a filing box. I didn’t like any of these options. We don’t have room in our small space for a filing cabinet or a second filing folder, much less a box. So I did some looking around at Staples and found a filing frame for next to nothing! Considering the other options were ranging from $25 and onwards, I’d say this was the best way to go.

I ended up clearing out one of our pull-out boxes by our desks and assembled the frame to fit. Ta-da! Problem solved. Though I do admit… I had to cut off the metal ends of the insert with a Dremel to make it fit. But think of the money, space, and ugly appearance I’ve saved! Fair trade off, I’d say.

Apologies for the bad photos. They were taken at night!

How do you organize your files?